The vehicle is a one-of-a-kind deep diving submersible designed and custom-built for her exact location on Roatan, Honduras. The sub, which is the first in history constructed of three different sized spheres, is designed to safely transport three people to 3,000 feet (915 meters) below sea level.
The submersible is named “Idabel” in honor of the town in Oklahoma where it was born, and whose inhabitants were more than helpful in the process.
The process of building the sub is featured in a documentary by Rooftop Pictures. Click here to see their site.
Idabel’s features include:
- 30-inch diameter viewport for her passengers
- 11 powerful lights, including one positional
- Nine viewports for the pilot so he can see in every direction
- Comfortable bench seating for extended dives
- Built-in sound system with I-Pod docking
Safety features include:
- Twin ballast compartments
- Twin high-pressure air systems
- 350-pound droppable lead weight
- Fully redundant propulsion systems with no rudder, dive planes or other moving parts to jam
- Three days of emergency life support
Design specs:
- Dimensions: 13 feet long, 6 1/2 feet wide, 7 feet tall
- Displacement: 4 tons
- Capacity: 1 pilot, 2 passengers
- Conning Tower Windows: 9 windows, 2.5 inches thick, 11 inches across trunicated cone
- Passenger Windows: 30 inch diameter dome and 15 inch flat window
- Design Depth: 3000 feet
- Max Depth to Date: 2660 feet (1/2 mile + 40 feet)
- Batteries: 14 glass matt gel cells arranged in 4 different banks— two 36 volt and two 12 volt
- Range: up to 10 miles, but 2-3 miles under normal operations
- Propulsion: 6 motors, 1.1 HP each, 4 rear and 2 vertical thrusters
- Dives Made: over 800
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